The Iowa Department of Public Health says 2006 has been its busiest year for acute diseases since 1998. Deputy state epidemiologist Kenneth Soyemi says one big outbreak pushed up the numbers. Soyemi says most of the cases were from the mumps outbreak, with some 19-hundred mumps cases.
Soyemi says the mumps outbreak kept the department busy. He says they were able to handle the outbreak "pretty well" with the help of lots of local and national resources, as people with the mumps traveled all over the country. There was also a significant increase in cryptosporidiosis, an illness caused by a parasite that is contracted by drinking contaminated water or having contact with the feces of an infected person or animal.
Soyemi says children with the disease got into swimming pools and spread it before the health department could stop them. Soyemi says there were a lot of secondary cases, with parents and daycare providers getting infected. He says they were able to bring the problem under control by getting out the proper message.
While there were increases in some types of diseases, Soyemi says 2006 saw a significant decreases in diseases such as hepatitis A and whooping cough.
You can see the complete annual report on the Iowa Department of Public Health website .